Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has shut down any suggestion he could replace Simon Goodwin at Melbourne, declaring he “won’t be coaching elsewhere next year” if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

Beveridge, the Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership coach, is off-contract at the end of 2025 and is yet to indicate whether he’ll ink a new deal with the club.

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Melbourne’s winless start to 2025 has put pressure on incumbent Goodwin, with a report earlier in the week suggesting the Demons would look at Beveridge, a former player at the club, as a potential replacement.

But Beveridge shut that down on Thursday saying he was “totally invested” at the Bulldogs but would only stay at the club if he was “welcome”.

“I don’t know where it’s come from, but ultimately our players and people that I work with understand and know that I’m totally invested here,” Beveridge said.

“We went into the year just feeling our way through and understanding that we’ve got to find what’s right for everyone.

“On a personal note, you don’t stay where you’re not welcome. From a club perspective, they’ve got more to consider than just my personal interests.

“And ultimately if I’m not coaching here next year, I won’t be coaching anywhere else.”

Beveridge said he had not spoken to anyone at Melbourne and was yet to hold any “formal” talks with the Bulldogs about a new deal, and he was comfortable with that.

“The agreement between myself and the club to enter the season just feeling our way through what’s going to be right for the club and me, that prevails,” Beveridge said.

“We haven’t had any formal talks about a new contract or anything like that. That’s something that hasn’t been discussed at this stage.”

Beveridge has piloted the Bulldogs to a 2-3 record through five rounds this season, succumbing to the reigning premiers the Brisbane Lions during Gather Round after holding a huge 33-point halftime lead.

The Bulldogs will get captain Marcus Bontempelli back from injury for his first game of the season in Sunday’s clash with St Kilda, who will be on managed minutes in his return.

“We can’t expect him to play 90 per cent game time or anything like that,” Beveridge said.

“He’s trained extremely hard with his cross-training for the duration of his recovery, but there’s no replacement for playing.

“So he’ll blow up a little bit, but obviously it’s exciting having him back in the team and we really welcome that.”